Computer networks include a plurality of nodes which communicate with each other over a high speed communication link. During periods when many nodes are communicating over the network, a given node may experience a significant degradation in performance. For example, the node may need to wait for data from other nodes connected to the network, or other nodes may place excessive demands on the node. Network administrators attempt to diagnose the source of the performance degradation and modify the node or network to improve performance.
To diagnose system performance, the network administrator requires tools for measuring the behavior of the nodes. This task is complicated by the variety of types of nodes which may be connected to the network. Further, the means for monitoring the node in interest must not significantly degrade performance of the system.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a system bus monitor which will enable the monitoring of a node on a network.